Sharon White wants John Lewis to generate 40% of its profits from outside retail by 2030. Credit: Darren Staples/Bloomberg
John Lewis's flagship housing scheme is under threat after local councilors vowed to oppose the project and accused the partnership of being “disrespectful”.
Upcoming Mutual Project housing development in Bromley was branded as “simply unacceptable” by the head of the Liberal Democrats in power, who accused him of not promising enough affordable housing.
John Lewis filed a planning application for the scheme late last month with the intention of building 353 one, two and three bedroom homes. apartments above Waitrose as it tries to diversify away from retail amid slowing traffic on Main Street.
Failure to get approval will be a nasty blow for the company's chairman, Dame Sharon White, who wants by 2030 the company received 40% of its profits from retail.
In June, The Telegraph reported that John Lewis risked missing available home goals from the scheme. At a local meeting, the company warned that only a fifth of Bromley's homes would be affordable, below the 35% recommended by the city council.
John Lewis said he was still aiming for 35%, but to do this he needs grant funding and is negotiating with the Greater London authorities and the council.
Julie Ireland, a Bromley councilor who leads the Liberal Democrat group in the area, said John Lewis “should be able to fund this from his own resources.” The partnership, which owns both the department store and Waitrose stores, reported revenues of more than £12bn last year.
Ms Ireland said: “We were very excited when we learned that John Lewis is going to invest in Bromley, but they don't care about the community… It shows a complete lack of respect.”
“. People wouldn't be happy if they thought their municipal tax money was being used to subsidize this new John Lewis project.”
She said the Liberal Democrat councilors who represented the parish in Bromley where the project is taking place would oppose the plans as they stood.
Residents and council members can speak out. opinion when a project is under review by an independent planning committee, although those on the planning committee must have an open mind about meetings.
Bromley Council is one of the London areas facing a severe shortage of affordable housing. Ms Ireland said the pattern was similar across London, but “in Bromley in particular, there is a real shortage of affordable housing to the point where we have almost no options for key workers like teachers and the NHS, and for young people. looking for their first home.”
“There is simply nothing in this range at the moment.”
Julie Ireland says John Lewis “should be able to fund this within their own resources.”
A spokesman for John Lewis said: “As the housing crisis continues to make headlines, especially in London where there is a significant shortage of truly affordable property, we are committed to building new affordable homes for rent.
“We will allocate real estate for key workers, including nurses and teachers. It is an ongoing process in which we work closely with a range of local stakeholders at the proposed sites to meet the needs of the local community.”
This follows from similar comments by Dame Sharon when she first unveiled the 2020 Housing Plans year, stating that the partnership plans to “repurpose and potentially reduce the footprint of our store, [and] we want to use the extra space for the benefit of the community.”
In another of his projects in Ealing, John Lewis also faced the need to increase the number of affordable homes on offer.
Peter Mason, a councilor who chairs Ealing council, said his area is “desperate for rented houses, but ones that our residents can afford, not overpriced apartments to help John Lewis to cash in on city workers.”< /p>
“As far as I can see, [John Lewis] didn't promise at least 35% of available homes on paper. Previous discussions suggested that they would even go lower. It just can't take it.”
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